Sudan, South Sudan agree to boost mining ties, form joint technical team

September 12, 2026 (TIANJIN, China) — Sudan and South Sudan agreed on Saturday to revive cooperation in the mining sector, activate stalled pacts, and establish a joint technical committee to share regulatory and technical expertise.

The landlocked nation of South Sudan holds untapped mineral wealth, though its commercial potential remains largely unassessed because decades of under-exploration and sparse geological data since the mid-20th century have limited assessment.

Juba has been pushing to attract foreign investment into mineral exploration to diversify its revenue base away from near-total dependence on crude oil exports.

The agreement was struck during talks between Sudan’s Minerals Minister Nour al-Daim Mohamed Ahmed Taha and South Sudanese counterpart Martin Gama Abucha on the sidelines of the China Mining Conference in Tianjin, the Sudanese ministry said.

Discussions centred on deploying Sudanese technical knowledge to help South Sudan organize and regulate its fledgling extractive industry.

Both ministers emphasized that technical coordination would help both countries maximize economic returns from their mineral reserves.

Under the deal, a joint team will oversee bilateral initiatives, coordinate ongoing work, and convert previous memoranda of understanding into operational programs.

Taha invited the South Sudanese minister to visit Khartoum to inspect Sudan’s institutional setup and legal framework for mining oversight.